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In Our Times
by Earl Coleman
He had hoped to avert the
worst
although, to his knowledge,
that notion had no history,
and him, still reeling from relentless
memories of all the very bad
of recent vintage, some only yesterday.
So when he thought it through,
he tried to set aside such clearly
naïve, sentimental longings, hoping
that although his chance might now
be lost, at least his kids would never see
the worst. Yet, pondering this
was led with fearful certainty
to a despairing
of the current prospects not only for himself
but those of his two sons. He closed his eyes
and concentrated all his wishing power, as if
that if nothing else could guarantee at
least
his grandkids would not see the worst.
And here we are.
(Published by Caesura, July 21, 2002.)
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